The diversity of modern technical applications creates a need for efficient electronic components and integrated circuits for use therein. Capacitors are a fundamental component used for filtering, decoupling, bypassing and other aspects of such modern applications which may include wireless communications, high-speed processing, networking, circuit switching and many other applications. A dramatic increase in the speed and packing density of integrated circuits requires advancements in decoupling capacitor element technology. When high-capacitance decoupling capacitors are subjected to the high frequencies of many present applications, performance characteristics become increasingly more important. Because capacitors are fundamental to such a wide variety of applications, their precision and efficiency is imperative. Many specific aspects of capacitor design have thus been a focus for improving the performance characteristics of capacitors. Solid electrolytic capacitors (e.g., tantalum capacitors) have been a major contributor to the miniaturization of electronic circuits and have made possible the application of such circuits in extreme environments. Tantalum capacitors, for example, are typically made by compressing tantalum powder into a pellet, sintering the pellet to form a porous body, and then subjecting it to anodization to form a continuous dielectric oxide film on the sintered body. The capacitance of the tantalum anode is a direct function of the specific surface area of the sintered powder. To increase capacitance, greater specific surface area may thus be achieved through the use of finer tantalum particles. Unfortunately, “necks” are often formed between fine particles during sintering. During use, these necks tend to overheat when a current passes through the anode, thereby causing damage to the capacitor.
As such, a need currently exists for a capacitor that is able to satisfy industry requirements regarding size and performance, yet still able to avoid overheating during use due to insufficient power dissipation.